Safety First! brochure out now in four more languages

Freising/Germany.

Safety First! Guidelines for the safe use of biogas technology” are now available in four more languages. The German Biogas Association has published a French, Spanish, Portuguese and Indonesian version of the brochure supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The original English version was published in November last year and presented at the Biogas Convention in Hanover. "These guidelines for biogas plants provide a comprehensive description of safety issues on biogas plants and highlight various forms of practical assistance. The brochure therefore is an essential source of information for anyone involved in planning, construction, operation, maintenance and testing of biogas plants all around the world" explains Manuel Maciejczyk, co-author of the publication and Chief Operating Officer of the German Biogas Association.

In the scope of its international activities, the German Biogas Association cooperates with many partners in different countries to promote the safe and efficient use of biogas technology. “The translation of this publication into four more languages will greatly facilitate the knowledge transfer into countries, in which the biogas market development is just starting”, says Maciejczyk.

The publication was co-financed by several GIZ projects: Sustainable energy for food – Powering Agriculture, Energetic utilization of urban waste in Mexico, Renewable energies and energy efficiency in Central America, Promoting climate-friendly biogas technology in Brazil, South African-German Energy Programme, Support for the Moroccan Solar Plan and Promotion of least cost renewables in Indonesia.

Latin America is one of the regions, in which the availability of biomass has spawned great interest in the technology. “In Mexico and many other developing and emerging countries, biogas can contribute significantly to sustainable urban waste management systems, playing an important role in energy production and greenhouse gas emissions reduction”, says Alvaro Zurita, Project Coordinator of the Enres project in Mexico.

The English brochure has met with great interest abroad. With the new translations, the publication is now available in five languages. More translations might follow. “We have received numerous inquiries about further translations into other languages and are happy that the dissemination of biogas knowledge is taking place at such a rapid pace”, says Maciejczyk.